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Wednesday, April 30, 1997

Playing hurt big pain for tight end

By Jean-Jacques Taylor

The Dallas Morning News

(KRT)

IRVING, Texas - Tight end Eric Bjornson played the second half of last season on two sprained ankles.

It hurt him and the team.

Bjornson, who rarely practiced after the ankle injuries, watched his production decrease significantly, and the Cowboys' offense struggle during the final two months of the season.

The result is that Bjornson has received criticism - publicly and privately -because nagging injuries have hampered his progress in each of his first two seasons.

"I was trying to help the team and do the right thing, but it wasn't the best thing," Bjornson said Monday after the first day of the Cowboys' four-day quarterback school. "There were no other guys available to play. Sometimes in this profession, you're going to have to play with pain.

"It was frustrating for everybody, but the result was that a lot of people came down on me for not producing."

Last season, the Cowboys frequently referred to Bjornson as player they expected to be the next Jay Novacek because of their similar size (6-4, 235 pounds) and ability to get open downfield.

Bjornson, who caught five passes of at least 20 yards last season, finished with 48 receptions for 388 yards and three touchdowns. But he caught only six passes in the last six weeks, and he missed two games because of injuries.

The Cowboys spent a first-round draft pick on LSU tight end David LaFleur last week, and coach Barry Switzer and owner Jerry Jones have said they expect the rookie to be an impact player.

Switzer said the addition of LaFleur and the return of blocking tight end Kendell Watkins will limit Bjornson to about 30 plays per game.

Initially, Bjornson said he wasn't sure what to make of the Cowboys' decision to draft LaFleur. A phone call from tight ends coach Robert Ford, he said, changed his mind.

"He called me the day of the draft and told me that the coaches still had a lot of confidence in me and that Troy still had confidence in throwing me the ball," Bjornson said. "That made me feel a lot better.

"David LaFleur is going to be a good player, and if he can help us get back to the Super Bowl, then that's what it's all about."

Novacek report

Tight end Jay Novacek did not participate in Monday's workout because of a previously scheduled commitment, trainer Jim Maurer said.

Maurer said Novacek, who missed the 1996 season with a degenerative back condition, did not report any soreness after running pass routes and going through individual drills on Saturday and Sunday.

Maurer said he expects Novacek to go through drills during the last three days of the Cowboys' quarterback school.

Coach Barry Switzer said he still isn't counting on Novacek's availability for the 1997 season.

"I just don't know how much better he can be," said Switzer, "because he hasn't had any surgical procedures. The only thing he has had is time to heal. We'll just have to see how it goes."

(c) 1997, The Dallas Morning News.

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